Apple Buys 3D Depth Sensor Company for $345M

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Apple has confirmed the purchase of motion sensor tech developer PrimeSense for approximately $345 million, according to Israel’s Calcalist newspaper.

PrimeSense’s 3D machine vision technology enables devices to identify people and objects. The Israeli company has powered over 24 million devices worldwide since 2005, with its motion-sensing chips, software, and IP used in the original Xbox Kinect.

The company has also a sensor solution (known as Capri) meant for smartphones and tablets as well as other small-form-factor devices. Investment research platform Seeking Alpha speculates that PrimeSense’s technology could be used in an iTV or next generation Apple TV as well as future iPhones and iPads.

Apple did not disclose the PrimeSense purchase price or use of its technology. Likewise, PrimeSense officials could not comment on the use of its technology.

"We are focused on building a prosperous company while bringing 3D sensing and natural interaction to the mass market in a variety of markets such as interactive living room and mobile devices," a spokeswoman for PrimeSense told Reuters. "We do not comment on what any of our partners, customers or potential customers are doing and we do not relate to rumors or recycled rumors."

Over the last two years, Apple has stepped up the pace at which it's buying component vendors, Seeking Alpha reported:

Say what? Why is PrimeSense going to make Siri more intelligent and friendly? This is for gesturing, not AI.

I doubt it gets used in iPhone/iPad at all, except maybe for specialized gaming control. There is little use for gesturing to a device that is held in one (or both, in the case of a tablet) hands. What good are a few facial expressions and a little hand waving for a phone's UI? If that's all they wanted, it certainly wouldn't require spending a 1/3 of a billion on one of the market leaders to obtain.

Apple is clearly doing this to obtain access to full body gesturing, not some hand waving above the screen to answer a call. Even if is used for TVs I suspect it is targeted as much as gaming as at controlling a TV. Anyone who has ever had or been a younger sibling knows exactly why gesture control for a TV isn't a particularly good idea in most homes.

One company uses simple gestures to answer calls, navigate the web on the phone. I could see apple pushing into that area. Obviously the apple TV experience could benefit from it. I could see some elegant integrations into their computer line as well.

How about the use of this technology for the virtual keyboard interface using finger positions above a keyboard you see in your Apple Glasses... That's what I'm waiting for. Just like in Johnny Mnemonic (Once again a William Gibson idea will be taken up by Apple. Just wait till they have an Apple iBrain implant too...)

If i am not wrong. Microsoft has deisgned and is making it's own sensor for Kinect in Xbox ONE. MS has used primesense for Kinect in Xbox 360, so i don't think they would be too worried Apple buying primesense.

Since Apple is known for its precision, quality and consistency of the software and products, buying components companies will help to maintain the precision and quality of the product in a more better way. At the same time it will help them to keep the products unique saving the patents for their own usages.

I am still not sold on the notion how 3D depth sensor could be useful for Apple TV (or any other consumer devices), but I know for fact that 3D depth sensor is very much needed by carmakers whose ADAS beeds ti recognize the depth of objects and people the car sees (while the driver may not necessarily see)